Sew Sweet :: Not sew brilliant yet...

I admit I was a little reluctant to do this post. You may have noticed that Tiff has done almost all of the "Sew Sweet" posts thus far. That's cos I'm a sewing newbie and she is far more talented in the sewing department! But she is living it up in Tokyo, and I have to post!

It is my fault for not taking an interest in sewing when I was younger...I'm sure Mum was keen to show me. And the funny thing is...I have all these friends I've known for years who've only recently revealed to me that they can sew! "You can sew???" I ask in envious disbelief! Obviously, some of us did listen to our mothers! I've also been finding all those creative blogs and Japanese craft books so inspiring and petrifying at the same time. Does that make any sense??

So instead of just dreaming about being a brilliant sewer, I thought I should just sit down in front of my newly purchased sewing machine & give it a go. I told Tiff that I needed to start with simple stuff...anything with straight lines! That means things like coasters, placemats, cushions etc. And so here are the results of my very first projects...some bookmarks and coasters made with some of the fat quarter fabrics we picked up at the craft fair recently...bit of a blue, red & white theme going on:

As simple as these might seem to you folk out there, the bookmarks caused me a bit of grief. The poor hubbie has been the recipient of cries like "If I can't even sew a bookmark, how am I ever going to sew something more difficult??" I'm not sure if it's beginner's frustration, but I'm hoping other people sometimes want to kick their machine...oops, did I really say that...I don't want to condone any violent behaviour here!

Anyway, I was quite happy with how the coasters turned out & the hubbie has been very encouraging. I even managed to step out of straight-line sewing to make the pin cushion at the top. Circular sewing...big accomplishment for me. I made it using the pin cushion tutorial over at whipup using blue wool felt & some spotty cotton fabric. Just noticed my friend Soo's done the very same tut - check out her lovely efforts here.

I'm not sure what I'll be sewing next, but I'm starting to amass a fabric collection...so I better put them to good use! Any simple sewing project suggestions are welcome! N